They don't even have a hall at Loreto Senior Primary School in Crumlin, Dublin, for singing practice. About 80 girls from 5th and 6th class, together with two special classes, had to squeeze into a cramped classroom to give a performance for The Irish Times. They sang songs from Ireland, Spain, Norway and Sweden, reflecting their links through the EU's Comenius programme with schools in those countries.

The huge pleasure they took from the exercise was palpable. These are children from some of Dublin's most deprived areas: Crumlin, Dolphin's Barn and Rialto. Outside the gates many of them have to cope with poverty, drugs, AIDS and family breakdown. Inside they sing rounds of "I'll Tell My Ma" in perfect harmony.

"Singing gives them pride in themselves, self-esteem. They know they're good at it and they like performing," said the principal, Sister Patricia Cadogan. They take part in city-wide schoolchildren's concerts in places such as UCD and the Point.

They have few if any music facilities: two old pianos that "St Vincent de Paul wouldn't take" and a CD player in every classroom. As a disadvantaged school they get an annual grant for books and equipment, but after this is spent on art materials for 11 classes, nothing is left for music.

Loreto is lucky in that it has one musically-trained teacher, Aine Ui Eigeartaigh. Others such as Attracta Swords and Emily Banville get by largely on their love of music. Swords remembers doing "the absolute basics" of music education at college 11 years ago - "but I can sing and that's an advantage." Banville did a graduate course in the Seventies and came into teaching with no music training.

A key to this deprived school's success is the willingness of teachers who are musically-inclined to teach not only their own classes but also those of teachers who are less adept. Most of its 230 pupils go on to do Junior Cert music in the adjoining Loreto College, one of Dublin's most musically accomplished second-level schools.